Cirrus VK-30#Variants

File:Old Photo of The Cirrus VK-30.png in Baraboo, Wisconsin, c. 1988]]

The VK-30 design was conceived in the early 1980s as a kit plane project by three Wisconsin college students: Alan Klapmeier and Jeff Viken from Ripon College, and Alan's younger brother, Dale Klapmeier, who was attending the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. Together after college, in the Klapmeier brothers' parents' dairy barn in rural Sauk County, Wisconsin,{{cite news|url = http://airportjournals.com/cirrus-designs-alan-and-dale-klapmeier-dumb-enough-to-start-and-smart-enough-to-finish/|title = Cirrus Design's Alan and Dale Klapmeier: "Dumb Enough to Start and Smart Enough to Finish"|access-date = 30 March 2014|last = Airport Journals Staff|date = January 2007| work = Airport Journals}} they formed Cirrus Design in 1984 as the company to produce the VK-30 ("VK" standing for Viken-Klapmeier). Jeff's wife, Sally Viken, designed the aircraft's flap system. During the kit's early developmental phase, the Klapmeiers and Vikens sought frequent help and advice from homebuilt innovator Molt Taylor, who specialized in pusher configurations dating back to the 1940s.

The aircraft has an all-composite construction and was designed to achieve natural laminar flow over the fuselage, wing and tail surfaces to provide for very low drag—using a NASA NLF(1)-0414F airfoil designed by Jeff Viken. The original prototype incorporated scrapped parts from production aircraft out of junkyards the Klapmeier brothers visited in order to reduce cost, including both a control system and nose landing gear from a Piper Cherokee (welding parts onto it to convert it to a retractable gear), as well as an O-540 (290 hp) engine off a wrecked de Havilland Heron. The VK-30 was designed to be a five-seat aircraft from the start, which made it considerably larger than most other amateur-built aircraft of its day. It incorporated a mid-engine design, driving a three-bladed pusher propeller behind the tail through an extension shaft. The powerplant in later models was a Continental IO-550-G piston engine developing {{convert|300|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}}.{{cite web|url = http://www.ae.uiuc.edu/m-selig/ads/aircraft.html|title = The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage|access-date = 2008-12-29|last = Lednicer|first = David|date = October 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080515232025/http://www.ae.uiuc.edu/m-selig/ads/aircraft.html|archive-date = 2008-05-15|url-status = dead}}

The VK-30 was introduced by the Klapmeiers at the 1987 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and first flew on 11 February 1988 at the Baraboo–Wisconsin Dells Airport. Kit deliveries commenced shortly thereafter.

In the late 1980s, the Klapmeier brothers approached jet engine manufacturer Williams International about the possibility of installing a small, single Williams FJ44 turbofan engine on the VK-30. The idea never materialized at that time, however, it significantly inspired the original design concept of the Vision Jet in the mid-2000s.

Cirrus discontinued production of the aircraft in 1993, and in 1996, announced plans to develop a stronger replacement wing for about 28 VK-30s supplied to past customers.{{cite web|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/former-astronaut-killed-in-cirrus-vk30-test-crash-17433/|title = Former astronaut killed in Cirrus VK30 test crash|access-date = 2016-01-29|last = Warwick|first = Graham|date=April 1996}}

Cirrus delivered about 40 kits, and built four additional factory prototypes. The company estimated that there were 13 customer VK-30s completed. As of 11 February 2018, four were still registered with the Federal Aviation Administration in the US, although at one time a total of 12 had been registered.{{Cite web|url = http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Results.aspx?Mfrtxt=&Modeltxt=VK-30&PageNo=1|title = Make / Model Inquiry Results|access-date = 12 February 2018|last = Federal Aviation Administration|author-link = Federal Aviation Administration|date = 12 February 2018|archive-date = 12 February 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180212201943/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Results.aspx?Mfrtxt=&Modeltxt=VK-30&PageNo=1|url-status = dead}}

File:4X-COD Israviation ST-50 (Le Bourget 1997) 1.jpg in 1997]]

;Cirrus/Israviation ST50

The VK-30 was the predecessor of the Cirrus ST50, which had an almost-identical configuration to the VK-30, but included a larger ventral fin on the tail of the aircraft, a slightly larger fuselage, and was powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-135 turboprop engine in place of the piston engine used in the VK-30. Cirrus designed and initially developed the aircraft under contract to an Israeli aircraft manufacturer named Israviation, and first flew it in Duluth, Minnesota in 1994. Isravation attempted to certify and market the ST50 in the proceeding years but it never entered production by the company.[http://aerofiles.com/_ca.html Aerofiles: Aircraft Ca to Ci] Retrieved 24 July 2011{{cite web |url=http://www.eaa1000.av.org/fltrpts/st50/st50.htm |title=Cirrus ST50 First Flight |publisher=eaa1000.av.org |access-date=2018-12-02 |archive-date=5 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105214709/http://www.eaa1000.av.org/fltrpts/st50/st50.htm |url-status=dead }}

Between 1990 and 2020, seven US-registered VK-30s crashed, with a total of ten fatalities.{{cite web|url = https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20001208X05368&AKey=1&RType=HTML&IType=FA|title = NTSB Identification: CHI96FA116|access-date = 10 January 2018|author = National Transportation Safety Board|date=March 1996}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-plane-crash-agua-dulce-20180211-story.html|title=Pilot and his family, including 9-year-old granddaughter, killed when small plane crashes near Agua Dulce|last=Panzar|first=Javier|date=11 February 2018|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=11 February 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20070904X01306&AKey=1&RType=HTML&IType=LA|title=Aviation Accident Final Report|author = National Transportation Safety Board|website=app.ntsb.gov|access-date=12 February 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20001211X15268&AKey=1&RType=HTML&IType=LA|title=Aviation Accident Final Report|author = National Transportation Safety Board|website=app.ntsb.gov|access-date=12 February 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20001208X05910&AKey=1&RType=HTML&IType=FA|title=Aviation Accident Final Report|author = National Transportation Safety Board|website=app.ntsb.gov|access-date=12 February 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20001206X01065&AKey=1&RType=HTML&IType=DE|title=Aviation Accident Final Report|author = National Transportation Safety Board|website=app.ntsb.gov|access-date=12 February 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20001212X23917&AKey=1&RType=HTML&IType=DE|title=Aviation Accident Final Report|author = National Transportation Safety Board|website=app.ntsb.gov|access-date=12 February 2018}}

On 22 March 1996, retired astronaut Robert F. Overmyer died at age 59 in the crash of an Allison turbine-powered VK-30. He was testing the aircraft for stall recovery characteristics at aft center of gravity limits when the aircraft departed controlled flight.

File:Air Zoo December 2019 143 (Cirrus VK-30).jpg in 2019]]

• Air Zoo, Portage, Michigan{{cite web|url = https://www.facebook.com/AirZoo/posts/10155469192405832 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/66832695831/10155469192405832 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title = The newest addition to the Air Zoo collection landed today! |access-date = 30 December 2017|author=Air Zoo|author-link=Air Zoo|work = Facebook|date = 12 May 2017}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web|url = https://www.airzoo.org/airzoom-backgrounds|title = AirZoom Backgrounds – Air-Zoom from our cockpits! |access-date = 2 May 2019|work = Air Zoo}}
• EAA AirVenture Museum, Oshkosh, Wisconsin
• Florida Air Museum, Lakeland, Florida{{Cite web|url = http://www.steenaero.com/event_reports_detail_singleitem.cfm?ProjectLogCategoryID=12&ProjectLogID=110|title = Event Reports - Sun 'N Fun 2006 |access-date = 3 April 2011|last = Steen Aero Lab|date=April 2006}}

{{Aircraft specs

|ref=EAA AirVenture Museum{{cite web|url = http://www.airventuremuseum.org/collection/aircraft/Cirrus%20VK-30%20Specifications.asp#TopOfPage|title = Cirrus VK-30 Specifications|access-date = 2008-02-10|last = EAA Aviation Center|year = n.d.}}

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{{aircontent

|see also=

|related=

• Cirrus Vision SF50

|similar aircraft=

• LearAvia Lear Fan
• Dickey E-Racer
• Grinvalds Orion

|lists=

• List of pusher aircraft by configuration
• List of civil aircraft

}}

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category}}

• [https://aeroresourcesinc.com/uploads/199004-1990%20Cirrus%20VK30%20Homebuilt.pdf "Fast Fourward"] - 1990 AOPA Pilot article on the Cirrus VK30 and Klapmeier brothers

{{Cirrus}}

{{Aviation in Wisconsin}}

VK-30

Category:1980s United States civil utility aircraft

Category:Single-engined pusher aircraft

Category:Mid-engined aircraft

Category:Low-wing aircraft

Category:Homebuilt aircraft

Category:Aircraft first flown in 1988